Kids

Tompkins County grant to expand broadband internet access

Tuesday's meeting of the Tompkins County legislature included the announcement of a grant to expand broadband internet access in the region.

The $2.2 million grant comes after two years spent studying broadband access in the region. Pat Pryor is chair of the legislature's Special Committee on Broadband and worked on the application with local provider Clarity Connect. She says the goal is to provide access to homes and businesses in rural areas.

"That's why they don't have service there now is because the Verizons and the Time Warners don't find it to be cost efficient to go out to these rural places," she says.

Pryor says the new service will be mostly wireless and they are still about $600,000 short of what's needed to complete the project. Eighteen grants totaling $25 million for broadband expansion statewide were announced Tuesday.